Bitten by the Bad Luck Bug

Some months are better than others… This fall was a bit rough. In addition to just feeling more homesick (probably the result of realizing I have another year left and because I love fall in Seattle), I had a streak of bad luck. Mostly this was transportation-related and that’s what I want to talk about here. Transportation in Kenya is a very interesting thing (not always the good type of interesting either). Out of 9 consecutive trips, 7 of them had problems. Since I find the problems, and their seemingly uncanny ability to find my vehicle, entertaining (and I hope you will too) I’ll provide a brief list:

1.       Trip to Embu from Garissa  – we took the trip to Embu for work and in addition to having what I assume is one of the most reckless (in terms of appropriate speed for his shock absorber-less vehicle) drivers in Kenya, we encountered a puncture on the way. This resulted in a 1 hour delay during which we waited on the side of the road in the sun while he attempted to fix it. Why did it take an hour? Because the jack he keeps in the vehicle is meant for a motor bike and we had to find rocks to put under it in order to lift the vehicle enough to get the other tire on.

2.       In Embu – the day after we arrived we were scheduled to leave to the rural area at 10am. The driver was late and saying he had to fix things in his vehicle before he came. Why this couldn’t have been done the night before, only he knows. Before he arrived (an hour late) the group escorting us had to leave to run some errands and got a flat while they were out. In total our day didn’t start until around 2 because of various repairs on each vehicle. He then proceeded to drive like a maniac resulting in a bruise on my tailbone that prevented me from sitting properly for at least a week. He would not slow down for our cries of pain and insisted that any other vehicle or driver would have the same effect. Simply not true.

3.       Back to Garissa from Embu – we were delayed for another hour, this time because somehow the brake and clutch wires in the engine got crossed and he couldn’t switch gears. No shade this time either, of course. This was when I really started contemplating a Kenyan version of AAA.

4.       To Matuu from Garissa – the bus was delayed for an hour and a half when the brake started leaking air and we had to wait for someone to come with a replacement part. Again, no shade unless you sat in the prickly grass (which some of the women did and invited me to do). But I sat on the bus and had a really wonderful conversation with the two men sitting across the aisle from me. One was a Somali who grew up in Ethiopia but now lives in California and the other was a Somali who grew up in Kenya, now lives in Ontario and has businesses in the DRC and Zambia. We talked a lot about the differences between America and Kenya and how there are benefits to both lives, about how the more you travel the better you know yourself and also the world, and the conflict between wanting to be home and wanting to see and experience something new. It was by far the best spent time of my many delays. Sadly, after this delay we came upon a horrific accident. Another bus had gotten a punctured tire while coming across a bridge, it the side barrier (thankfully not falling down to the dried river bed), and somehow flipped. By the time we got to the scene all the people/bodies (it didn’t look like people could have survived to me, but I heard that few people if any died – not sure what the truth is) had left/been removed. It was one of the most terrible things I have ever seen and hard to look at when I’m on a bus, no better in structure or command I’m sure. The top of the bus was right side up next to the upturned bottom and the seats were resting against the ground. Luggage was scattered all around and people were crowded around to get a look. Myself, I stayed back too afraid of seeing something I might never be able to get out of my head. I’ll come back to this one too, but the main lesson I took away from the sobering scene was that if I’m ever in an accident I’ll keep my head down.

5.       Matuu to Nairobi – this trip really wasn’t bad, but I’ll count it because the man promised me the matatu would go all the way up to the stage in Nairobi, but he lied. The driver of the first made me switch half way there. Then the driver of that car promised to take me all the way up to the stage and they too made me switch after some time. And then with the traffic in Nairobi they made us get off before the stage even and walk. Just annoying.

6.       Nairobi to Voi – I had really wonderful luck at the stage in Nairobi. A bus was about ready to leave when I got there so I bought my ticket, used a toilet (REALLY TERRIBLE smelling), bought water and we were off. I thought my luck had changed and I settled in for the trip. But, barely out of the city, the driver overestimated the distance to get around a truck and knocked off the side mirror. On the coast buses they would just keep going (I’ve been on them when the mirror was knocked off and it wasn’t an issue for them), but not in Nairobi. The laws of the rest of the country, at least in terms of vehicular and traffic laws, don’t seem to be a worry of buses between Garissa and Nairobi or Garissa and the coast (I’ll come back to this later as well). We had to pull over and people got out to get a closer look or to relieve themselves in public which is acceptable here. But not me. I just sat tight thinking we would be on our way soon enough. I fell asleep and woke up about a half hour later with no one else on the bus and we hadn’t moved at all. People had gotten out to sit on the side of the road. I followed suit and there I waited for 3 hours until the next bus could come and pick us to continue our trip. I felt less upset when I found ginger-marinated goat kebabs at the place we stopped for dinner.

7.       Voi to Msau – SUCCESS!! No problems on this one.

8.       Msau to Mombasa – well, once I was actually on my way the trip was not bad at all. I didn’t even have to transfer in Voi because the morning matatu is an express. So what was my problem? A matatu strike began in the region on the day I was planning to leave which meant I had no way out. I spent an extra 3 days in Msau and the Taita region before the strike ended and I was finally able to leave. Ridiculous. On the upside, I got to see some of my friends’ sites where I had never been and got reacquainted with the color green and some gorgeous views. Plus I got some good hiking in (straight up the side of a steep hill for about a couple hours). Unfortunately, the bad luck on this leg wasn’t limited to transportation. While I was there, my house was broken into and I had to wait until I got home to know what was missing since my roommates don’t know what I have. Whoever it was didn’t take much of value, except sentimentally, and of course what robbery would be complete without taking a person’s sheets and the back-up deodorant and toothpaste they brought from America.

9.       Mombasa to Garissa – as much as I hoped this would be a carefree trip (and as much as the stressed up me needed it) bad luck once again came knocking. Luckily we were only stuck in the mud for about an hour and there were only a few times when the bus tipped enough for me to think it was time for my head to be down. At one point we came upon a large puddle, a pond really, and had no choice but continue through or go back to the place we got stuck. The water came up to a grown man’s waist when he got out to test the depth and we all looked at it with trepidation. The bus just accelerated into it and a huge wave of water came over the front of the bus… really awesome to see and the whole bus cheered and clapped for the driver (a heartwarming story of success, really).

Anyway, those are just some tales of my transportation troubles. Hopefully, I can have a break for awhile. I’ll post again soon about the state of roads and transportation in Kenya.